Principe Borghese

Solanum lycopersicum

HEIRLOOM Trust the Italians when they choose this heirloom to make the sweetest sun-dried tomatoes around. Also great for sauces and salads. Produces clusters of red, very meaty, plum-shaped, pointy-ended fruits with little juice and few seeds. Determinate.

The first bite of a friend's homegrown tomatoes is the clarion call to gardening for many people. The flavor is incomparable and it lingers in our memories through the long winter days. And so begins the epic journey of devotion that is growing tomatoes. Native to the dry highlands of Peru, these plants are rather sensitive to the growing conditions found in much of the US, requiring some extra vigilance by the grower to mitigate plant diseases. Generally, they prefer good air flow from sturdy trellising and low humidity, although there are many varieties that have been selected to perform well under different conditions. The plants are either determinate, or indeterminate. On determinate plants the fruits ripen at one time and don't necessarily need to be staked. Indeterminate plants continue growing until frost with fruit ripening until the plant dies. Nutrients: dietary fiber, vitamins A, C and K, potassium, manganese.

Size

Price

Qty

Purchase

0.15 grams - Packet

$ 2.95

Average Seed / oz

Seed / 100' Row

Average Yield / 100' Row

Days to Harvest

9000

1/2 gr

150 lbs

70-75

Planting Season

Ideal Soil Temp

Sun

Frost Tolerance

After Last Frost

70-90°F

Full Sun

Frost Sensitive

Sowing Method

Seed Depth

Direct Seed Spacing

Seeds Per Packet

Transplant

1/4"

NA

60

Mature Spacing

Days to Sprout

Production Cycle

Seed Viability

18-24"

6-14

Annual

4-7 years

Tomatoes are frost-sensitive annuals that need full sun and evenly moist soil to thrive. Most varieties prefer caging, staking or trellising. Take care to water only the roots and soil, not the plant leaves to reduce risk of disease. Plant Seeds: Start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost, planting 1/4" deep in 3-4" pots. Transplant after all danger of frost and when soil has warmed up, leaving 3' between rows and 18-24" between plants. When planting, sink plants very deep up to 12-18" deep, right up to the base of the first leaves. This will promote good root development. Soil Temp: 70-90 F. Days to Sprout: 6-14 days. Companions: asparagus, basil, bee balm, cabbage family, garlic, nasturtium, celery, parsley, onion, marigold. Antagonists: cabbage family, pole beans, dill, fennel, potato, corn. Seeds/Oz: 9,000. Average Yield/100' row: 150 lbs. Days to Harvest: 60-85 from date of transplant. Seed Viability: 4-7 years